Crisis Coalition concerned over the continued clampdown on civil society actors

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has noted with concern the latest unfounded and misleading claims by the government mouthpiece [The Herald] that some foreign embassies are training civil society activists to engage in anti-government protests.

The coalition said the story appeared in the Herald of 9 December 2021.

Crisis Coalition said the false accusations are meant to justify the Government of Zimbabwe’s continued clampdown on civil society actors, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens who continue to question the government’s ‘chequered human rights record’ and failure to deliver basic social services and economic development for the country’s citizens.

“It has become apparent that the Government of Zimbabwe does not want to be held accountable by its citizens, despite proclaiming to be a democratic government. The same modus operandi was used during the August 2018 and January 2019 persecutions which resulted in a spate of abductions, murder, torture, and arrest of civil society actors.

“We are concerned that the so-called New Dispensation led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa continues to persecute civil society and human rights defenders based on unsubstantiated claims being parroted by the public media.

“It is unfortunate that the Government of Zimbabwe continues to use the state-controlled media in creating false narratives that are meant to justify its continued promulgation and abuse of draconian laws to persecute civil society actors as well as criminalization of civil society work.”